Gov. Rick Snyder is now officially scheduled to testify before Congress on March 17 about the Flint water crisis.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is holding two new rounds of hearings about Flint, after an initial hearing in early February.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, did not invite Snyder to testify at the previous hearing, despite urging from Democrats.
Snyder’s office recently released a statement saying he’d called Chaffetz, asking to testify.
Snyder had been invited to testify at a Democrat-led panel about the water crisis, but he declined, saying it conflicted with his budget proposal presentation to lawmakers.
Now, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, says they’ve struck up an agreement:
“We are very encouraged because we have a new agreement with the chairman (Chaffetz) to obtain documents from Gov. Snyder and conduct transcribed interviews with some of his key emergency managers before these hearings take place. These steps will allow the Committee to do a more complete and thorough investigation and hold officials accountable, and I thank the chairman.”
It wasn’t immediately clear which documents this agreement may cover, or which emergency managers would be interviewed, nor whether Gov. Snyder’s office is on board. Earlier this week, Snyder said he was in the process of releasing all staff emails about the Flint water crisis.
Requests for comment from the govenor’s office, and from Democrats on the committee, were not immediately returned.
Meanwhile, former Flint emergency manager Darnell Earley is also scheduled to take part in these hearings, after declining to participate in the previous panel.
He’s scheduled to testify March 15. Rep. Chaffetz' office sent out further schedule details about the hearings, which are listed below.
DETAILS:
WHAT: Examining Federal Administration of the Safe Drinking Water Act
WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
WHEN: Tuesday, March 15, 2016 10:00 a.m. ET (Hearing Part 2)
Thursday, March 17, 2016 9:00 a.m. ET (Hearing Part 3)
INVITED WITNESSES:
HEARING PART 2:
Ms. Susan Hedman
Former Region 5 Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mr. Darnell Earley
Former Emergency Manager
City of Flint, MI
Mr. Dayne Walling
Former Mayor
City of Flint, MI
Mr. Marc Edwards
Charles P. Lundsford, Professor of Environmental and Water Engineering
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
HEARING PART 3:
The Hon. Gina McCarthy
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The Hon. Rick Snyder
Governor
State of Michigan
